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Chainsaw-wielding Robot Chops Limbs Off of Trees

posted by LaminatorX on Wednesday February 26 2014, @10:00AM   Printer-friendly
from the I-for-one-welcome-our-new-Chainsaw-Bot-overlords dept.

Sir Garlon writes:

"Researchers in Japan have developed a chainsaw-wielding robot that climbs trees and prunes off limbs. Such pruning is currently done by humans, who can't always use a cherry picker and sometimes have to climb the tree and operate the chainsaw one-handed. That is, not surprisingly, rather dangerous. The robot is still experimental, and it's remotely operated, not fully autonomous. But it's an impressive gadget none the less. Robots with chainsaws, what could possibly go wrong? Linked article includes video."

 
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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by buswolley on Wednesday February 26 2014, @11:01AM

    by buswolley (848) on Wednesday February 26 2014, @11:01AM (#7320)

    I am sure there are safe ways of doing the job. I do not doubt your expertise. However, the fact remains that any job on which a simple absent minded action kills you is a job that is dangerous, and prone to high rates of lethal accidents.

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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by frojack on Wednesday February 26 2014, @04:05PM

    by frojack (1554) on Wednesday February 26 2014, @04:05PM (#7519)

    any job on which a simple absent minded action kills you is a job that is dangerous

    You mean like driving to work?

    But hey, welcome to planet earth. Not everybody gets to sit at desks all day.
    Even dangerous jobs can be done safely by properly trained professionals.

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    • (Score: 2) by buswolley on Thursday February 27 2014, @12:53AM

      by buswolley (848) on Thursday February 27 2014, @12:53AM (#7789)

      Fairly good point, maybe. I'm not completely convinced.
      http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-610 98-122913/unrestricted/milburn.pdf [vt.edu]
      It concluded "Conclusions:
      ƒ A worker performing equipment maintenance or repair, or a worker felling or
      delimbing a tree not processed by a feller-buncher or delimbing device, has the
      greatest risk of injury on fully-mechanized operations.
      ƒ Mechanization of the delimbing function will reduce but not eliminate the most costly
      injuries, where a worker on the ground is “struck-by†a tree, limb, or log.
      ƒ Equipment maintenance or repair should be performed in the controlled environment
      of a shop, rather than in the field, in order to decrease injuries.
      ƒ Operating a chainsaw is still a very dangerous logging job function, even on
      mechanized operations. All employees that use a chainsaw should undergo extensive
      training, and only trained employees should use a chainsaw."
      Except desk jobs ARE dangerous. Too much sitting kills.

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    • (Score: 1) by Rivenaleem on Thursday February 27 2014, @07:00AM

      by Rivenaleem (3400) on Thursday February 27 2014, @07:00AM (#7886)

      Hey, don't knock them paper cuts and freak stapler accidents!